We have reached the half way point in the year with exactly the same number of species as last year at this time when we set a record for the most species seen in the county for a calendar year in the ten years of this project. Last year we did have a phenomenal run of unusual species from mid-October through mid-December to reach that 207 species total. Since we have seen the winter birds and a migration into the breeding season, additions to the 192 species to date will come much slower and I'll be sending updates every two months rather than monthly for the rest of the year as usual.

April was slower than usual for adding new species to the list, possibly due to a lack of coverage as some of our more active birders spent big portions of the month out of the county. There were no reports of unexpected species. Even Cassin's Vireo and Nashville Warbler which show as less than annual probably pass through in small numbers each year as migrants, but aren't seen or reported every year. Since they don't stay to nest they can be missed some years. Many of the April additions were in the last week and as migration peaks in May we should be finding more on a regular basis this month, the most exciting time for many birders.

Willapa Hills Audubon Society has kindly agreed to sponsor the Fallen Leaf Nature Library. It is a collection of approximately 700 used books and 100 VHS videos on natural history and environmental education, which we hope to make available to Longview/Kelso families and teachers for circulation. These general interest books and videos, donated by Ann and David Cordero, Marie Fernandez, Sherry Evans, Lynn Smith, Gloria Nichols and others, would be available to anyone free of charge for a month or longer to stimulate an interest in the natural world and promote literacy. Volunteer staff could provide simple interpretation such as touch tables, exhibits, displays, story times, demonstrations and experiments, homework help, or preparation for the Science Olympiad—any nature activity they choose to lead in the space where the library resides.

That is the key: where will we put this library? Lower Columbia College has approved the use of the McLaughlin Community Resource Center in the Health and Science Building for the nature library! LCC has been very gracious about this prospect, saying that it is the kind of thing for which the room was intended and that this will be a mutually beneficial relationship to be continued as long as it works for both parties and which can be terminated by either party.

Does this sound like fun? You can help make this happen! We will need volunteers (as much or as little time as you like) and ideas for interpretive activities.

If you would like to volunteer, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.at (360) 577-8626. We will also take donations of books, videos, and natural objects when we have a space—my dad’s garage is pretty full right now! And we will need you to tell your friends and family to visit the nature library.

Together we can provide a new community resource for children, books to supplement classroom lessons, interaction between people with natural history interests, and better visibility for WHAS.

Audubon Washington's new citizen-science project is looking for volunteers! Participate in a regional volunteer monitoring effort, learn about coastal ecology, meet like-minded community members, and spend time near the water!

WHAT: Observe intertidal habitat use of waterbirds

WHO: Be part of a team of scientists including the University of Washington (UW), NOAA Fisheries (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WA DNR)

WHEN: Waterbird surveys will be conducted monthly during low tides, recording the abundance and behavior of birds in vegetated and unvegetated patches. Surveys will occur from mid-March through September 2016.

WHERE: Shore-based surveys of intertidal habitats will occur at fixed sites around Puget Sound and in Willapa Bay.

We got off to our usual outstanding start with a record number of species on the January 1st Christmas Bird Count. The highlight of that day was a 1st for the count Black Phoebe. This was also a 3rd record for Cowlitz County. We also found a number of species that are less than annual during the month as well as a few species earlier in the year to get the big start on the year list. Please continue to report your finds on Tweeters, eBird or directly to me as we try to best 2015's banner year.

What a finish to a record breaking year! We finished with 207 species in 2015 which is four more than our previous high.

Capping the final months was a Yellow-throated Warbler that spent two weeks at Lake Sacajawea Park in Longview and was seen by more than 50 birders and well documented with photographs. As well as a first for Cowlitz, this bird was only the third ever for all of Washington. While searching for the warbler a pair of birders found Cowlitz's first ever Northern Mockingbird a couple blocks from the park. This bird also was also seen by many observers during its twelve day stay.

To end our fantastic stretch the county's third record of Rusty Blackbird was found in the Woodland Bottoms just before sunset on December 31.

Have some fun this winter counting birds at your outdoor feeder—and at the same time aid important world-wide scientific research. The Great Backyard Bird Count, hosted by The Cornell Lab, Audubon and Bird Studies Canada, will take place on February 12-15 2016.

This is a fun way to stay connected to the outdoors on cold, wet winter days while staying dry and warm in your kitchen. It's a super way to get kids involved in nature activities and science!

Just count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the GBBC. If you have never participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count before, you must get started by registering at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/get-started/ All the information you will need is available through the same web page. A valuable app, called eBird, is also available that helps with identifying birds and uploading your results—but this is not a required item to participate. Just create an account, read the instructions and start watching birds. Report your count back to the web site.